The Lady Rouge
by Lee Lamprush
Summary: well this one is a bit out there Natsuki Kruger is a spy for Garderobe on a mission to take down one of the most ruthless pirates Viper Viola but when she meets his daughter will her mission go as planed
1. the mission

Disclaimer

First things first I own nothing here because I borrowed the characters from sunrise and some of the key points of the story from a book I read as a teen lol so I hope you like this swash buckling adventure

Hey readers after you read and review please check out the poll I set up I would like to know which of my stories to update first

Lady Rouge

Natsuki Kruger stood in the icy mist, silently watching a sheer veil of fog float through forest ringing the bay. The chill and the sent on the breeze teasing her senses with memories of her childhood. Born and raised in Aries, she loved the rain and sea with a passion that nothing and no one has ever inspired. Drenched to the skin and shivering she felt at peace with her self as she did no where else in the universe. Her bond with this land ran deeper than national ties, however, for she was part of the people who first settled this wild land and the spirits that whispered across the vast forest sang in her veins.

A descendant of the first rulers of Aries, Natsuki's grandmother had filled rainy days with the magic of stories of old. Natsuki closed her eyes briefly; she heard echoes of the old woman's voice. Natsuki had loved the tale of the first settlers landing, she envied the sense of wonder they must have felt when they explored their new world, for at twenty six she had lived through so many harrowing adventures she no longer found any thing intriguing or unique.

At Natsuki's elbow Marshiro glowered impatiently, seeing no trace of beauty in the wretched day, spoke in a whine.

"You're already overdue at the base, and while they will hold the shuttle indefinitely, I think you'd have some consideration for the crew even if you have none for me."

Five feet five, Natsuki glared down at her diminutive superior.

"I will be gone for months, possibly years. What difference does a few more minutes make?"

Exasperated, Marshiro glanced up toward the sky and was rewarded with an eye full of stinging rain. She coughed and sputtered.

"This operation has been coordinated to the last second. If you are not at Viper Viola's outpost when Yamada arrives to start the brawl, you won't be able to infiltrate Viper's operation."

Not intimidated, Natsuki discounted Marshiro's warning.

"Yamada is far to bright a man to start a brawl without me."

"That may well be true, but he's already in route and we can't change his orders without sending a message Viper might intercept and decode. That would endanger your life as well as Yamada's. Must I remind you that you volunteered for this mission? Viper is supplying arms to colonies that were charted for peaceful settlement of the universe. All it would take is one fanatic to begin seizing territory by force and the whole concept of peaceful development will fail. War is a plague more virulent than any disease, and with Viper encouraging the acquisition of arms, it's only a matter of time before a colonial chief makes the mistake of using them. He must be stopped now, Natsuki, and I am confident you can do it. Now let's get out of this accursed rain and began."

"That was a most inspiring speech. You've missed your calling. You ought to have been a politician, or an evangelist."

Disgusted by her protégé's sarcasm, Marshiro turned and gingerly tiptoed around puddles dotting the sand to reach the sleek hovercraft lying in wait at the shore.

Emblazoned as with Garderobe's crest, the ship served as Marshiro's personal vehicle on the rare occasions she deigned to leave Garderobe's glass walled headquarters in Aries capital.

To the casual observer the impressive office building was the center from which most of the vast Garderobe corporation's operations where directed.

It also held the firm's highly trained intelligence unit that was secretly known only to its elite corps, and Garderobe's columns also known as the board of directors.

To others who worked in the building, Marshiro was merely the head of an obscure research team whose annual reports made for dull reading they were seldom opened, let alone studied. A spymaster of extraordinary skill, Marshiro basked in her carefully cultivated anonymity. At times like this when one of her operatives behaved with the very same independence that was crucial in the field, she was thoroughly annoyed. Once inside the hovercraft she took off her heavy red overcoat and tossed it aside then sat down in the main cabin to sip a steaming cup of hot chocolate while she waited for Natsuki to join her.

Meditation was a practice she frequently recommended, but never relied on it herself and was far from calm by the time Natsuki finally appeared.

Marshiro waited for her to cast off her wet coat, and towel the rain from her long blue black hair. She passed Natsuki a mug of hot chocolate and a packet of photographs.

"Viper Viola's an elusive bastard, but easily recognized. He comes from Kyoto stock so does Tomoe his second in command, and Miya, who is Tomoe's sidekick for all intents and purposes. The Arab woman is Summer Moon, Viper's lover; the last is his daughter Shizuru. Be careful of her. Viper has raised her as a son and she's undoubtedly even more ruthless than he is. Ghastly bunch of pirates is all they are, and once you have enough information to close down their entire enterprise, they will live out the rest of their lives in a maximum security prison."

Natsuki would have liked something stronger than cocoa, but Marshiro did not imbibe spirits of any kind and did not provide them to her operatives. In the winter she urged hot chocolate or teas. She was rumored to have a wife, but neither Natsuki or anyone she knew has never met her. Natsuki could not help but wonder if when Marshiro and her wife got in a wildly passionate mood, they might smear each other with foamy whipped cream that Marshiro heaped on top of her cocoa.

Erasing the bad image, Natsuki set her cocoa aside on the low table between their padded seats.

"Aren't you forgetting they have to be tried first?"

"No certainly not. If we didn't need evidence for a trial, we would be sending assassins rather than you. Garderobe won't stoop to murder, however, no matter how just our cause."

Natsuki opened the packet and began to shuffle through the candid photographs taken at the Viola Mine, Viper Viola's frontier outpost, taken by another of Marshiro's minions. While the pictures were of excellent quality, the poses left a great deal to be desired. Viper had been standing at an angle, looking down and other than unshaved cheeks and dark honey colored hair, Natsuki couldn't make out much.

"Who took these?" She asked.

"Chie Hallard a wiry girl who runs with one of the punk gangs. She is a nearly invisible sort who can come and go without attracting any notice where ever she is sent. It's a valuable quality you would do well to cultivate."

Natsuki scoffed at that bit of advice.

"You are not paying me to be invisible, Marshiro, but to match wits with the galaxy's master criminals, and live to through it."

Marshiro conceded the point with a faint nod.

"Chie has her place however. After all, you couldn't pass as a punk at Viper's outpost."

"I wouldn't even try."

Punks were youthful bands who amuse themselves by boarding privet star ships and briefly terrorizing the owners. They diverted the craft for joyrides, but were pranksters, who soon released their captives and went on their way, unlike the far more evil and ambitious pirates who seized star ships and made slaves of their owners and crews. It was pirates' careers that Natsuki was sent out to end, and like the once famous otome she always got her man or woman, as was the case sometimes.

The second photo was of Tomoe. She wore her green hair long on one side and shorter on the other. Chie caught her in the midst of an argument very intense, her mouth open and the tendons in her neck taut. Next came Miya, she wasn't as vivid as Viper and Tomoe were but had the look of a follower.

Natsuki flipped to the fourth picture and found that Summer Moon was a lovely little thing, her long black hair braided in a single plait. She thought it was a pity she had such bad taste in lovers.

Even among a gang of pirates, the last photo proved shocking. Shizuru Viola was a slender beauty with a wild tawny mane and the most amazingly vivid eyes she had ever seen they were the color of garnets and seemed to see through everything. Chie had caught her in the midst of a fluid, undulating stride, but rather than her extraordinary grace, it was the deadly looking polearm clutched in her left hand that brought a gasp to Natsuki's lips.

"How did Viper get an element? I didn't realize they had even gone into production."

"They haven't."

"Then what is she holding?"

"It's an element, all right, but its one Viper manufactured himself. We found the leak in the new otome division and ended it, but there is a possibility the element isn't the only prototype Viper has. That's one of the reasons this mission is so urgent. Armed colonist are dangerous, but armed with elements and who knows what else, they will be invincible. As you know, the weapon was developed with the sole and unlikely event that the events on earth repeat themselves. It's not like the red star has been seen.

The new weapons were to be stock piled and never used at least that was Garderobe's intent. It obviously isn't Viper Viola's."

Natsuki studied Shizuru's clear crimson eyes, framed with a thick fringe of long dark lashes. She had a remarkable beauty even when cosmetic surgery was commonplace. The static quality of a still photograph didn't disguise the smoothness of her gait. She might have been a talented dancer rather than a pirate's daughter, but to hear Marshiro tell it, she was more dangerous than her father. Hers was the best photo of the lot.

Natsuki could easily imagine Chie eyeing her with a lascivious gaze while she drank a volcano, the fuming brew illegal in the colonies but favored by the lawless drifters who frequented the outpost on the frontier.

Transported by her vivid imagination, Natsuki let her mind wonder freely and it soon carried her into the photo she held. She heard the loud clang of the games lining the walls of the crowded tavern. Smoke from a dozen-banned substances stung her eyes and blended with the pungent smell of grease and sweat soaked leather.

Shizuru was no longer looking toward a hidden camera, but right at her.

She was easily as tall as Natsuki if not a bit taller. They easily met each other's gaze. Shizuru was so beautiful, and, unable to resist the impulse, Natsuki reached out to tip her face toward hers. Without bothering to introduce herself, she kissed Shizuru long and hard, Natsuki's mouth dominating hers with a lazy insistence Natsuki didn't end it until she was satisfied that Shizuru understood she intended to have more from her than the scorching kiss. Natsuki smiled at her then, with a self-satisfied grin that froze on her lips as Shizuru raised the polearm ready to strike. Natsuki raised her hands, but before she could utter the first word of an apology, she brought down the blade. Natsuki could feel it slash through her chest. Her blood sprayed over the crimson eyed beauty but it still didn't touch her defiant stare.

Natsuki owed a lot to her ability to imagine her adventures before she lived them. Her day dreams were normally enjoyable, but dying even in her imagination wasn't. She winced and swore under her breath.

"I agree," Marshiro said. "They are a disgusting lot, but no worse than some of the others you have dealt with successfully. You will introduce yourself as Natsuki Kuga, a commercial pilot who's lost not only her license for carrying contraband, but all sence of honor."

Marshiro handed over a closely spaced print out.

"Memorize the background information and destroy it. Should Viper wish to access Garderobe's computer files, he'll find ready documentation of Natsuki Kuga's shady past. You fled Aries to avoid prosecution, and can't visit any of our colonies for fear of arrest."

"That's plausible, if not very exciting."

"If your story were any more exciting, then others would be expected to know it. You needn't worry you'll run into anyone who ever knew Kuga.

She is one of my creations, so there's no one who can contradict your story, provided you go with what is on the page and nothing more. Please don't embroider it that will only make Viper suspicious."

"I understand the rules."

A veteran operative who has assumed more than a few hundred identities since she was sixteen, Natsuki was well acquainted with Marshiro's rules.

In her opinion, many of those rules lacked imagination, but she couldn't argue they worked.

Meticulous about her appearance, Marshiro squirmed unhappily in her damp clothes. Her sharp doll like features had a bluish cast, and despite the warmth of the hovercraft's cabin, she was still cold.

"As has happened when you've gone undercover in the past, Viper Viola will probably demand you prove your loyalty by successfully completing a challenge. Whatever it is, do it. As always you will have complete immunity from prosecution once the operation ends with Viper's arrest."

Natsuki re-sorted the photos, this time placing Shizuru's on top. Marshiro had already warned Natsuki about her, but Natsuki sensed she was even more dangerous than Marshiro believed. Beauty and evil were a lethal mix, and she knew this mission might prove to be her most difficult. She hoped it would not also be her last.

"If any thing goes wrong my insurance money goes to my little sisters."

"There's still no spouse in your life?"

Natsuki's laugh was her first of the day.

"There are plenty of lovers in my life but none I'd care to reward with that kind of money."

Marshiro raised her mug of cocoa. "To the success of your mission," she proposed "And to Natsuki Kuga."

Natsuki was happy to drink to that. She just wished she had something stronger to swallow.


	2. another day in paradise

Disclaimer: still own nothing zip zero zilch much to my dismay

Hey I fixed the poll I was a bit out of it when I set it up the first time so please check it out. Flames or flowers I don't mind in the least but read, review and enjoy.

This is a long chapter to make up for my poll mess up.

Another day in paradise

Viola outpost

Shizuru Viola's glittering silver gown was slit up the side to display more than she thought was necessary of her sparkling hose. She had refrained from insulting her father by saying so, however. When ever he returned from a trip with an expensive present, she thanked him profusely and wore the garment a time or two before relegating it to the back of her closet. She sat down on her bed to pull on a pair of soft silver boots, then stood and bent over to brush out her hair. When she straightened up, she gave her head a shake and the dark honey curls spilling over her shoulders danced into place.

A single glance in her bedroom mirror was sufficient to satisfy her that the studied elegance of her appearance was the same that night as all the others, but inside, she lacked even a hint of the glowing serenity of her reflection.

Restlessly she picked through her jewelry, and after a lengthy search through the priceless gems, she chose a pair of star shaped diamond earrings. Wishing her outlook were as bright, she left her rooms for the tavern where she expected to do nothing more entertaining than deal in a few hands of high-stakes card games.

Located on an asteroid that Viper had claimed without opposition twenty years ago. The outpost consisted of a seven-level compound. The family living quarters were at the top, four levels above the profitable haven for the galaxy's malcontents and felons known as The Viper Nest.

As was her custom, Shizuru rode the elevator down three floors before getting out on the security floor. She used a hidden viewing port to observe the crowd gathered in the tavern on the level below. Along with excellent maintenance facilities for spacecraft, her father's outpost supplied whatever vice a traveler might crave. As she watched the latest group of arrivals, she wondered about the darkness of their tastes. Her job was to encourage gamblers, which wasn't very challenging when the fever to wager and lose was in their blood. Tonight, as she had been doing more and more often, she longed to find something or someone, who might excite her.

Midweek, there was the usual assortment of regulars, plus an occasional face she only dimly recalled from a past visit. Discounting them, she continued to peruse the crowd until her glance fell upon a woman seated at the bar. Her blue black hair flowed down the back of her pilot's jacket, but her head was slightly bowed as she sipped a volcano, Shizuru couldn't make out her features in the smoky mirror behind the bar. That was a small problem though the staircase to her right led to a hidden passageway behind the bar.

She made her way down it with light, dancing steps, and then standing behind the two-way mirror she observed the dark-haired stranger. Her features proved to be even more appealing than Shizuru had expected, and knowing she would have remembered her had they ever met. Shizuru wondered who she might be.

The fact she had come to the Viper Nest meant she had business on the frontier. It couldn't possibly be legitimate business either, but, never having known a person who earned a living honestly, she wasn't discouraged by that fact.

Shizuru liked her looks she had nice eyes, they were dark green, shadowed by thick lashes, and framed with expressive well-shaped brows. When she turned to look over her shoulder, her profile was as perfect as that of the goddess of the night. Her ebony hair looked as soft as silk, and aching to slide her fingers through it, Shizuru curled her hands into tightly clinched fist at her sides. She kept watching her, waiting for her to speak to the bartender, and when she exchanged a joke with him, Shizuru was pleased by the brightness of her smile.

"What are you doing back here?" Tomoe asked as she walked up beside Shizuru. "Aren't you supposed to be at your table?" Tomoe leaned against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest. A mocking smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, giving her a predatory look she so richly deserved.

Shizuru hadn't heard Tomoe approach, but shrugged rather than admit she had found a customer to her liking. Eager to avoid her, Shizuru took a step to the side.

"What's the hurry? Nobody is going anywhere. I was just looking over the crowd."

Intrigued Tomoe surveyed the bar, and spotting Natsuki, quickly guessed who Shizuru had been observing.

As far as she was concerned, Shizuru was her girl, even if she had yet to convince her of that, and growing jealous, she straightened up.

"The woman on the end got caught running contraband on routine flights for the Garderobe Corporation. She's no one you want to know."

"What sort of contraband? Drugs?"

"How should I know? She was stupid enough to get caught, and that's all that matters."

Tomoe lowered her voice to what she thought was a seductive level.

"I'd much rather talk about you. That gown fits you better than a snake's skin. Why don't you come rub against me later, and shed it."

Tomoe never missed an opportunity to whisper the sickening suggestions she mistook for flattery, but Shizuru was as disgusted as always.

"Why don't you try that line on one of Summer Moon's girls? We pay them to be gullible," Shizuru said in a friendly manner.

It was then she decided if Tomoe didn't channel her misdirected affections elsewhere, and soon, she was going to complain to her father. That prospect gave her hope, and hurrying away, she left Tomoe without a backward glance.

Natsuki had braced herself as she entered The Viper Nest, but it had been devoid of the garish lights and hideously mismatched décor she had anticipated in a place that catered to the underbelly of the galaxy.

There were no naked men or women dancing on top of tables, nor drunken musicians playing loudly and off key. There was no raucous laughter, nor stinging ring of shouted insults. Here, there was only an oasis of elegance and calm delicately laced with sound of a gently plucked harp.

The walls and furnishings were covered in deep dark purple, the floor was glossy garnet color marble tile, and the lighting was provided by tiny twinkling bulbs in the black ceiling. The effect was as spectacular as it was unexpected, and like all the outpost's visitors, Natsuki felt as if she had just stepped outside on a warm summer night on Aries. She had to remind herself that she wasn't there to relax, but to take Viper Viola's empire down.

She sat down at the bar, and assumed that the dark mirror behind it screened anyone who wished to observe the tavern without being seen. She had been there for nearly an hour before she began to feel the uncomfortable sensation of being watched. She had docked her ship, and paid the rental fee for two nights without causing so much as a raised brow, but someone must have noticed her, and she hoped it was Viper Viola himself. Over the years, she had come to trust her instincts, and not wanting to make the unseen pirate's task an easy one, decided to move.

She finished the rest of her volcano, a vile drink in her opinion, but one that went with the reckless image she was being paid to project. Sliding the empty beaker back across the ebony bar, she rose after leaving the bartender a good tip, and began to explore.

She soon discovered that the tavern had several other rooms and offered diversions ranging from gambling to sex. While she wasn't interested in the type of woman who could be expected to ply her trade in there, she did want to see everything else.

The adjoining room was decorated in a warm blue-gray with red accents and featured individual booths in which for a decent price visitors could choose to play a number of simulation games on their own screen. She chose halo seven, and because she played with mad skill she soon drew an audience of punks who greeted her victories with ecstatic whoops.

She nodded and smiled as though impressing them was exactly what she had set out to do. After getting so far into the game she soon lost interest in killing the covenant which she usually found absorbing and let the booth go to the next player.

The third room held a casino. The décor was like the first room only it had a lush, deep blue décor. The patrons here were older than those in the game room, and thinking Viper might be among them, Natsuki began to stroll around the perimeter. She recognized only a few of the games; others were frontier favorites not played else where, but from the heaps of chips on the tables, it was plain that fortune could be won or lost, there in a night.

She had circled half the room before she noticed Shizuru Viola seated at a table not twenty feet away. She was annoyed with herself for not seeing her much sooner. Shizuru was shuffling a deck of cards with the careless ease of a practiced gambler. Not caring what game the three men already at her table were playing, Natsuki quickly crossed the room and joined them. When Shizuru looked toward her, she felt a sudden jolt of recognition, but she blamed the feeling on the fact she knew her quite well from her photograph.

"If you're starting a new game, deal me in," Natsuki asked.

Through the smoky mirror, Shizuru hadn't been able to appreciate the porcelain complexion of the stranger's skin, and when she smiled her face turned into that of an angel's. She had a pleasantly husky voice, and Shizuru hoped she would prove to be talkative. Then she felt foolish for wanting more than a few words they would exchange during the game. Beautiful women came and went through the outpost with such frequency that while Shizuru thought she was more attractive than most, Shizuru doubted she would remain long enough for it to matter.

"We're playing poker with The Viper Nest rules." Shizuru slid her a neatly printed list. "Most people like to watch a couple of hands before they join a game."

Natsuki read the bizarre set of rules and, though completely confused, shook her head.

"No deal me in," Natsuki said.

The table was covered in midnight blue felt, and the matching deep blue cards would have been invisible on it if not for the purple snake on the back of them. Natsuki picked up her cards and sat back to consider her first move.

The men who sat with her quickly placed their bets, and then glared at her to make hers. One was a punk barely out of his teens, while the other two were in their thirties. Their shaved heads and beady eyes made them look like unfinished androids, but Natsuki hadn't expected much from The Viper Nest's patrons and didn't mind making them wait.

But since she supposedly dealt in contraband, Natsuki had been given enough money to gamble for several days even if she lost the mostly.

When she actually won the first round, she was even more surprised than her three companions. She then lost what she had won in the second, but did well in the third and fourth. It wasn't until Shizuru began to deal cards for the fifth that she caught her dealing off the bottom of the deck. She was positive of what she had seen, but calling her on it didn't serve her purpose and she pretended not to notice while the heaviest of her bald companions lumbered to his feet.

"Viper is rich enough without his dealers cheating," the man rasped in a croak. "Give me back what I lost or you will share my bed till I've been repaid."

Yamada wasn't dew for another day, but Natsuki saw no reason to wait for a staged brawl when she could just prompt one now.

"Sit down and shut up," Natsuki ordered. "No one's trying to cheat you."

"You calling me a liar?" the bald man bellowed.

Natsuki threw her cards on the table and rose with a weary stretch.

"No I am calling you stupid and ugly."

He lowered his head to use as a battering ram and then came at Natsuki, who at the last second stepped out of the way. Careening on the bald bully plowed into a punk who made the mistake of crossing the aisle at the wrong time. Both men went down with a thud, but as he came up the more agile punk got in a savage punch to the much heavier man's nose.

A frantic swarm of punks came running to their friend's aid, while an equal number of burly pirates came to the bald mans defense. The fight began in earnest as the two sides met, and not caring who won Natsuki circled the table, took Shizuru's hand and pulled the beauty to her side.

"Show me the way out," Natsuki shouted above the noise of the fight.

Shizuru had seen too many fights to care how this one came out and led Natsuki off the casino floor out onto an observation platform where, surrounded by glittering stars, Shizuru leaned back against the rail and drew in a deep breath.

"I can take care of myself," Shizuru argued. "I don't need to be rescued by well-meaning strangers."

Natsuki had grabbed her winnings in her free hand, and now shoved chips into her jacket pocket.

"That's hard to believe, you're one of the sloppiest dealers I had ever seen. You're awfully pretty, but that doesn't mean people are to distracted to notice that you don't play by the house rules."

Insulted, Shizuru turned her back on her. She was disappointed she had got caught and she was going to be just as obnoxious as all the other people were about it. Shizuru was even more disgusted with herself for hoping for something better. People are like that, she thought sadly, and none of them were any good.

"Why did you call James stupid if you agreed with him?"

"James? Slug would be a better name. Let's just say I like to rescue lovely girls, even when they don't have the good manners to thank me."

This embarrassed Shizuru, and she was quick to fix the slight.

"Thank you, but had James raised a hand to me, he would have been dead before his palm brushed my cheek.

Natsuki leaned back against the rail and folded her arms over her chest.

"That's a bold threat for such a careless dealer. You wouldn't need protection if you practiced or turned honest. I doubt anyone believes the games here are honest, but when they are as blatantly as crooked as yours, a person has a right to become pissed."

"Be careful now," Shizuru said politely. "Or you might win an opportunity for a burial in space."

Shizuru's picture did not do her justice, when she was mad it wasn't obvious but her eyes would flash and when she had brought up manners, her fair coloring took on a rosy glow that was utterly captivating. That a pirate's daughter could blush amused Natsuki.

"I am a pilot. Nothing else would be right, but I hope you would grant my last request."

"I hope your not counting on it."

Playing her part to the letter with the reckless behavior, Natsuki moved behind her, took hold of her shoulders, and turned Shizuru to face her.

Natsuki put her hand on Shizuru's cheek and kissed her. Natsuki was surprised to find her lips were a perfect fit it felt so right. Natsuki had only meant to get a rise out of her with the kiss, but she tasted so sweet Natsuki forgot the reason for kissing her to begin with but she no longer cared. All the sudden Natsuki felt a searing pain tore through the side of her head, her knees buckled, and going limp, she fell and lay sprawled over the toes of Shizuru's boots.

Grinning widely, Tomoe slipped the small, perfectly weighed metal club she used to subdue Natsuki back in her belt, and drew back her foot, but was stopped by Shizuru.

"There is no reason for that when she won't even feel it," Shizuru said trying to spare her that much.

"She'll feel a few broken ribs she wakes, if Viper lets her wake. If not, she won't be the first we tossed out the airlock this week, and how battered she is won't matter."

Shizuru was well aware of her father's policies, for while he welcomed all travelers to The Viper Nest, he was the one who decided when they left, and how they left. Shizuru raised her hand to her mouth, but rather than wiping the arrogant stranger's kiss, she caressed the warm memory of her lips. She may have been kissed without her consent, but she had been tender rather than rough, and that had been a happy surprise.

"I don't want her beaten," Shizuru ordered firmly. "Just take her down to the tank, but keep her in a separate cage. I want my father to see her before we decide what's to be done with her."

Tomoe bent down to search the unconscious woman's pockets.

"Won quite a bit didn't she?"

Tomoe took the chips, plus the cash she found, but kept going through the zippered pouches on Natsuki's flight suit until she had found some identification. Tomoe studied the laminated card, then rolled Natsuki over and compared the photo to her face.

"Natsuki Kuga's the same name she gave when she docked. We know she is wanted, but there might be a bounty on her. I could use the spare cash, and I'll be glad to split it with you."

"You start turning people in for bounties and you will empty the casino. Don't do anything more than lock her up."

Shizuru went to the door and glanced out. Screaming punks and wild-eyed pirates were still attempting to tear each other apart, and she let out a weary sigh.

"Another day in paradise."

"Yeah, but it's your paradise, and owning it has got to be quite a consolation."

Shizuru turned back for a final look at Natsuki Kuga. She made no attempt to explain how little her father's money meant to her when Tomoe would never understand, but at that moment, a loving kiss from a stranger meant far more to her. That was such a pathetic thought that she went to the security floor, where the sterile surroundings didn't promise anything so sweet she didn't know it's name.

Having completed her search, Tomoe got a firm grip on Natsuki and half-dragged half-carried her to the lower level where Viper Viola kept the patrons who broke his rules. Dimly lit and purposely cooled so that the air always held a damp chill, she took her prisoner to a closely barred cell and striped off her clothes. When she found a wolf tattooed across Natsuki's back, she thought nothing of it most pilots had tats like that. Once stripped she delivered a few savage kicks that Shizuru was no longer there to prevent.

Natsuki didn't wake until morning, but Tomoe had taken her watch so she had no way of knowing the hour. Her head was throbbing with a torturous rhythm, but as she struggled to sit up, her cracked ribs complained with a wrenching pain that brought on a wave of nausea. She closed her eyes in an effort to stop it, then, remembering where she was, she opened her eyes slowly. The ache in her ribs was a familiar one, for some one in her line of work often suffered broken bones. The secret was not to move to quickly or take deep breaths.

Feeling she had control of herself, if nothing else, she eased herself carefully into a sitting position only to realize her lack of clothes even her Emma collection set. They haven't made that collection since earth, and the only reason she had that set was because she found the patterns and had it made.

She then began to look around to see if she could find the asshole that ripped off her undies. Bare walls were all that faced three sides of the cage, but on the fourth she found Viper Viola observing her with a cold glance causing her to blush out of both anger and embarrassment. The man's eyes were not gray but the color of steel, and Natsuki found it difficult to be glad she had found him. Being naked and in pain put her at a disadvantage, but she tried to keep it from showing, but the blush wouldn't stop at least it was giving her a little heat.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I am Viper Viola, and I already know you are Natsuki Kuga so don't bother with an alias. The Garderobe Corporation is eager to have you back. Give me a reason not to give you to them."

Adjusting her position with care, Natsuki raked her hair out of her face.

"You've got a dealer who's absolutely worthless," she began. "When James caught her cheating, I tried to defend her, but it sure doesn't look like she was grateful."

Viper hooked the leg of the stool with his foot and after kicking it into place sat down.

"That's my daughter and yes, she is prone to playing pranks. It's a fault I find endearing. There's a rumor I toss anyone who approaches her out the airlock. It's not true, but most people believe it and avoid her. She said you kissed her, though. What makes you so brave?"

Intending to be believed Natsuki took a deep breath, but the pain in her chest stopped her cold.

"I don't know if I would call kissing her brave, because I had no idea who she was."

Viper tilted his head to better observe Natsuki through the bars.

"How did you get caught?"

"I don't know. Someone hit me from behind."

"No I am not talking about kissing Shizuru. I mean running contraband."

Natsuki wasn't too cold and uncomfortable to remember her cover story.

"A bitter now ex-girlfriend turned me in. After what I spent on her, I deserved more loyalty."

"Is loyalty important to you?"

"Certainly," Natsuki swore convincingly. "I would never turn a friend in."

"How about an enemy?"

"There is no reason to show loyalty to an enemy, or at least none I can see when they would be likely to betray me at the first chance."

Viper was dressed in a navy blue flight suit with matching boots, but as in Chie's picture, he had several days worth of growth of beard, and his fair hair, while not overlong, was so wild it looked as if he styled it in a wind tunnel. Amused by his captive he probed for more information.

"What kind of contraband were you carrying?"

Natsuki responded with a deeper blush and a shrug.

"Well now, I called it art, but the assholes who arrested me swore it was porn. As I see it life can be lonely, and if a person can satisfy their needs for companionship with a picture, I don't see how anyone can call that a crime," Natsuki said channeling her younger sister Nao who seen porn as educational material.

Viper nodded in agreement, and continued to study his prisoner closely. After a moment, he stood, and walked around the cage observing her from all angles. Apparently pleased with what he saw, he came to a decision and returned to the stool.

"I have a proposition for you."

"Cool, can we discuss it somewhere warm and with my clothes?"

"No, I find the cool temperatures invigorating. Now while I am sure you are unaware of it, my daughter has taken a liking to you."

Natsuki gave her head a shake, and regretted it when more pain exploded in her head. She griped the sides of her head in a wasted attempt to make it stop.

"I hope you forgive me for saying this but she has a funny way of showing it."

"Maybe, but she has no experience in making friends or finding mates."

Natsuki had found herself in a number of odd situations during her career, but this topped the cake. She had expected Viper Viola to be the usual brand of cutthroat, and maybe he was, but she never imagined the man might want to have a heart-to-heart talk about his daughter. Her teeth began to chatter.

"Ok just what do you mean by no experience?"

"To tell the truth she's a virgin and has no one she will talk to, and will likely stay that way unless she meets someone she can see as an equal. I think you may be the person."

Marshiro had warned her to expect a challenge, but Natsuki doubted that her boss had considered this twist. She raised her hand.

"Wait a minute, I'm starting to get confused. Just what is it you want me to do?"

Viper rose and kicked the stool out of his way.

"I want you to marry my daughter and be an exemplary wife. You'll have to make her fall in love with you first, and that won't be all that easy. If you need some time to think about my offer, you may have it. Just tell the man who brings your food when you make a decision and I'll come see you again."

Already at risk of hypothermia, Natsuki grabbed the bars and pulled herself up. She was shaky but remained standing.

"I'll give you my answer right now, sir. I would be proud to marry your daughter." What in the hell am I getting myself into? She thought.

Viper gaze traveled down Natsuki's well toned figure before coming to rest on her red face.

"Shizuru must never suspect this conversation has taken place. If you ever even hint to her that it has, it will be the last words you speak."

"I understand. She will never know. You have my word on it, but what if after my best effort she fails to fall in love with me?"

Viper laughed and walked away.

"Then I'll toss you out the airlock and you will have no troubles."

Sickened by the threat, Natsuki remained standing while she waited for her clothes, but try as she might, she couldn't think of a way to use Yamada to get her out of this mess.


	3. note to readers

Dear readers

I know I promised two back to back chapters on this before I updated my other fictions but every time I go to work on it I get blocked. So I started working on other fictions for other animes and shows like iCarly and Naruto to try to clear my head on how to proceed on Lady Rouge. The good news is I have figured out how to fix my problem and I promise it will be a better story for it. The bad news is I have to rewrite it and work a few things around so please be patent with me and I will get to work on it over the holidays and likely open the revamped version of this story with about six chapters

Yours truly

Lee Lamprush


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